Apparatus for playing du plicate whist



. lay of the game.

"UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

JOHN G. BUTLER, OF AUGUSTA, GEORGIA.

APPARATUS FOR PLAYING DUPLICATE WHIST.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,302, dated February 6, 1894.

Application filed March 29, 1893. Serial No. 468,128. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I," JoHNG. BUTLER, of

Augusta, in the county of Richmond and euchre, &c., may be duplicated by playing the hands over again, either by the same partners or by transferring the hands intact to opponents.

The use of a special device, apparatus or tray for this purpose, upon which my inventron is an improvement, will be best explained by the following statement.

The game of whist as above stated, may be thus duplicated, but in playing the cards upon the table and afterward transferring them, mistakes are liable to occur, and if this be avoided by attaching the four hands to the sides of a square of pasteboard,--the simplest and rudest device for which different improved devices or trays have been substituted,-the under cards are nevertheless liable to become exposed by the cards getting displaced, unless the trouble be taken to turn over the cards of every trick as soon as played. The hands are usually picked up and slipped under arubber band fastened on the pasteboard and should one of these ban ds break it cannot be replaced without some de- My invention is designed to obviate, in a most efficient manner, these objections and facilitate the play, provide a near receptacle for each hand as it is played, and to preserve the hands, as played, for any length of time and insure a transfer of the hands to the proper players without the possibility of mistake.

My invention consists of a light tray of metal, wood, paper or other suitable material, in the form of a cross having a raised edge or border deep enough to contain each hand and prevent the cards from slipping oi the tray as they are played, or exposing the under cards. The hands are played into small and distinctly separated receptacles at the extremities of the branches of the cross, one of which is placed in front of each player and the cards are retained in their respective receptacles by endless elastic bands held in slots in the edge or border of the tray. The backs, or farther sides from the players, of these receptacles, constituting the months of said receptacles, are not entirely closed but have projections, studs or offsets which confine the cards in a given direction, but at the same time allow the admission of the fingers so that the cards may be readily extracted from their receptacles. The center-portion of the tray is used to hold the checks or counters, or pegs serving as counters and fitting into suitable holes in the tray, may be'used, if desired, in scoring the game.

In playing duplicate whist with the tray or apparatus, when the cards of one deal have been played, the hand of each player is in the receptacle or pocket nearest to him and is then turned over and confined or secured therein by an endless elastic strap or other suitable means, which each player slips over the center of the cards and the pocket into which they have been played. This elastic strap, is brought in contact with the cards, compressing them, by passing through or across a couple of slots or depressions in the border at opposite sides of each branch of the cross-shaped tray. Thetray is then put aside and another tray and pack of cards are similarly disposed of until any desired number have been used, when the trays are again placed on the table, one by one, and the cards in them played over again. If there are only two players, each player takes the previous hand of his opponent, and if there are four players each player takes the hand previously played by the opponent on his right. In order to insure each player getting the correct hand, one branch of each cross- \9 5 I shaped tray has a constant mark of any suitable kind, which during the first series, is

placed in front of the same player and during the second series of games is placed in front of his opponent. One other branch of each cross has a distinctive mark for the lead and each cross should be numbered on the under side for record with the score.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying too drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the most approved form of my improved tray or device; and Fig. 2 is a similar view of a slight modification of the same.

A, indicates the cross shaped tray and b, the card receptacles, pockets or compartments formed by the distinct and separated branches thereof. One form of projections, stops or offsets is shown in Fig. 1 at c, to prevent the cards from slipping forward toward the center 61 of the tray. A border e is shown running entirely around the cross, thus making a shallow tray and in connection with the projections, stops or offsets c completing the four card receptacles b and the center comp"rtment or well (Z to hold the counters. The endless elastic straps hereinbefore referred to are indicated byf. These straps are stretched across the card receptacles and pass through slots or depressions g in the border e, which slots serve to hold them in place. The constant mark used opposite one branch of each tray, to insure each player getting the correct hand, is shown at it, while t', indicates the mark for the lead.

In Fig.2 of the drawings, substantially the same construction is shown as in Fig. 1, but this form will add somewhat to the strength and stiffness of the tray and provides a larger center compartment d.

The raised border 2 need not run entirely around either form of tray, but adds stiffness by so doing. If not running entirely around, it may be confined to the ends of the four branches of the cross-shaped tray, and any suitable form of projections, stops or offsets 0 may be used, as also any suitable mark for indicating the lead.

I do not claim as my invention the exchanging or providing for an exchange of hands and playing them over again, which is old, nor yet a marked or figured board and elastic straps; neither, in the abstract, a tray for the game of duplicate whist, provided with four holders arranged to retain the several hands of play by themselves in the game of duplicate whist, but the improved crossshaped tray or apparatus hereinbefore described possesses many advantages which characterize it with special novelty and utility. Thus the cards can be played directly upon or into those parts or distinct and separated receptacles formed by the branches of the cross-shaped tray in which they are to be ultimately confined, and thus played they stay in place and expose only the cards of the previous trick, which by the rule of whist every player has the right to see, and thus is avoided the necessity of turning over every trick after it is played, or exposing it again on the demand of aplayer. The cross-shaped tray, too, enables me to use for confining the cards, simple elastic endless straps or rubber bands, such as are sold at the Stationers and which, comparatively, cost but little and are readily adjusted to or removed from their places, thus avoiding delay and annoyance. The branches of the tray may be made of any reasonable length, to bring the card receptacles near the players and yet the tray be very light. The cards, too, are well protected by the raised border of the tray, against injury when a series of trays are piled upon one another or shuffled, and the cards and counters are prevented from sliding and rolling around the table. The cross-shaped tray naturally provides foursmall card receptacles with a minimum weight of tray. I propose to pack the series of trays in a suitable box. \Vhen in play the trays would be removed from the box and placed. in a pile within easy reach, tray No. 1 being on top, tray No. 2 next, and so on. As fast as disposed of, the trays would be set into the said box edgewise, from which they would afterward be taken indiscriminately, to be played asecond time. This dispenses with the necessity of shuffling the trays. Score-cards or a score-book and the counters, may also be suitably packed in the unfilled angles of the box. counters are the usual round disks called poker chips and if represented on the drawings would be seen piled on the center portion of the trays.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An apparatus for playing duplicate whist, comprising a cross shaped tray havin g a raised border with its open top card receptacles Within the branches projecting outward from the center portion thereof, and provided at or near the inner ends of the said branches with inwardly extending projections adapted to confine the cards in a given direction with freedom for removal when required, and means for holding the cards in said receptacles, substantially as described.

2. The cross-shaped tray for playing duplicate Whist, consisting of a center or body portion for the counters, and branches forming card receptacles projecting outward from said center portion, and provided with a raised border having slots in their sides adapted to hold an endless and elastic strap or band for retaining the cards in their receptacles, in combination with projections at or near the inner ends of the branches, substantially as specified and for the purpose herein set forth.

JOHN G. BUTLER.

Witnesses:

CHAS. H. EGBERT, MAX. A. FISCHER.

Convenient 

